I just got mine, so obviously I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s nice soft silicone, doesn’t dry you out, catches clots (which tampons don’t do, at least for me–ick), eases cramps for a lot of women, and I don’t know what all else–what I’ve listed is off the top of my head from memory of other people’s testimonials. Here’s the site I got my cup and liners from; there are FAQs and lots of testimonials on it.
Sounds great for youze guys. I was always VERY light and not much of a cramper, so there’d probably be no value-add for someone like me.
I wonder how it manages to affect cramping. What’s the low-down on that?
To be honest, I can’t figure that out either. I hope I’m one of the ones it works for that way, though–I cramp a lot at times.
It has no effect on my cramps. I usually only cramp before my period comes, when I’m not wearing it, but have very little in the way of cramps during my actual period.
My reasons for switching:
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Tampons dry me out, badly. Hate them. Plus, they’re expensive and I’ve been in the position (during group travel, when I got my period unexpectedly because of syncing with the other girls’ cycles) of having to beg a whole van full of people (men & women) that we need to stop at the store so I can buy tampons. :rolleyes:
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We have a delicate sewage system, so flushing tampons is never an option for me, and putting them in the trash is disgusting. The Diva Cup produces no litter; blood can be rinsed down a sink or toilet.
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I travel and camp and the Diva Cup seems easier. Except in those places where there aren’t any toilets, but tampons aren’t any better in those situations.
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I can go longer between changings. This is especially valuable on my 1st and 2nd days when my flow is heavier. I can go overnight without having to wear a pad.
I love it.
No stankiness. In the hot and humid Southern summer, this is an issue for me. I avoid tampons because of the link to cervical dysplasia, and I was changing pads constantly to avoid the stinky. And stinky or not, you never feel clean with a pad. Which leads to issue #2…
I was tired of constantly buying and toting supplies around everywhere I went, and having to remember to bring them into the john with me every time. I can’t tell you how many times I’d go to pee at work and then have to go back to my desk, get a pad or whatever, and go back to the restroom to tend to that. I love only having to deal with it in the morning and the evening. It’s pure freaking joy.
Oh, and I forgot another thing… I can use the Diva Cup regardless of the amount of flow. You can even use it if you aren’t having a period, since it isn’t absorbent on its own. I was always worrying about whether I had the right absorbency of tampon and such since my periods have gotten stranger as I’ve aged… with the light flow for a few hours, heavy flow for a day and a half, light flow for a day or so, heavy flow for a few hours, light flow for a half day, heavy flow for a few hours, then done.
I showed the DivaCup and the little liners to our file clerk and she wrote down the web address so she could go check it out. She wasn’t weirded out by it at all, although at first she thought the cup was a diaphragm.
What makes a cup better than tampons? Oh my god… EVERYTHING! Heh. I hate tampons because I feel filthy when I wear them. Mainly the string. Unless I change my tampon every time I pee, I have a urine-soaked string wadded up in my crotch. Ewww! And even if I tuck the string in, it’s still a nasty thing. And there is always an odor, even if I’m the only one who can smell it. Tampons also feel yucky to me, both inserting and removing… the whole cotton scraping the inside of the vagina… it’s just uncomfortable. Plus, tampons leak so easily (especially with clots… and I’ve had a tampon leak and then I take it out and half of the damned thing is is still white!) Pads are just vile… like wearing little stinky diapers that are all damp and disgusting against you all day long and leak like nobody’s business. I also always felt, when wearing a pad, like everyone knew. They make a little bit of noise, for one thing, plus depending on what you’re wearing, there can be that really obvious lump, especially when they go lopsided. Then there’s the cost of buying tampons or pads all the time–it adds up quick–and the waste of disposing of them. The convenience factor of not having to carry “supplies” with you. The convenience of not having to take supplies into the bathroom (it can be awkward in some situations, and just easier to be able to go in carrying nothing). Only having to empty it twice a day rather than being constantly alert to that “feeling” that tells you it’s time to change your tampon/pad.
I love the thing. I couldn’t imagine going back to tampons. My god. Yuck.
As others have said, but just for the sake of reinforcement: 1) bear down like you gotta poo, sorta. 2) grab the cup itself, not the stem. 3) squeeze it to deform the cup (this breaks the seal) and pull it out and forward (not out and straight down).
I got mine in the mail from Amazon yesterday! After reading this thread I had to give it a try. I’ve never been so anxious for my period to come. (Except for that one time…) I’ll let you gals know how the first run goes.
Trying not to read too much here, just wanted to ask a question–
the wife uses the Reddy reusable pad, at least in the winter. I guess y’all would way that the DivaCup kicks butt compared to that, too?
I have been on the fence about getting this because I only fall to the Communists once every 3-4 months, but today I have just been reminded that it’s a nasty business. Every time I have one I feel like I’m having several at once - heavy flow, and it lasts for a full week sometimes. Diva Cup it is, then.
Kicks butt like you would not believe!
Honestly, 1 oz capacity is a lot of liquid and endometrial matter … I am very heavy and it takes me 6 hours to fill when i am on the off week of my seasonale [2x year.]
I only wish I had gotten the diva cup years ago as I really only used it monthly for about 1 year before I went on seasonale.
Actually, slight hijack… if you are not trying to reproduce, I can highly recommend seasonale or something like it that supresses the menses and lets you schedle when to have them! Seasonale in combination with the cup is fantastic.
Right now I have been having a bout of hemorragia, to the tune of filling the diva cup every hour [yes I am seeing a doctor, and he is trying to set me up with a specialist] and it is fantastic for checking content consistancy and color before dumping it. I dont get leak throughs or clots slithering out like with tampons and once you get used to the feel of when the cup is topped off I havent had a leak accident since the first one about 3 hours into the bleeding. I do wear a pad right now just in case. It was the first time in 2 years I had to send mrAru out for supplies 
I tried it out a couple of nights ago just to see how it fit, since I won’t be getting my period for a couple more weeks. It was so hard to get in. I could not seem to hold it closed long enough–is it OK if it opens partly while you are trying to insert it? I did manage to insert it at last and it seemed to be in proper place, and was much easier to remove than to insert. It was noticeable but not uncomfortable while inserted. I am not sure if you should be able to feel it at all, though. Ladies?
Yeah it is fine if it opens while inserting. You really shouldn’t feel it, no. If you are feeling something, try wiggling it around. If you can still feel it, your stem could be too long–just trim it a bit.
Dangit, My period was coming every two weeks for the last two months until my Diva Cup arrived.
So I haven’t had a test run yet.
Maybe they could say “Buy one and your period will never arrive!”
Got mine a couple of weeks ago (ordered online direct from www.DivaCup.com). I actually bought two - one for me and one for my best friend, along the lines of “I’m not sure I want to do this alone!”. Finally ( 
) got my period yesterday and tried it today. Goes in fine and we will just see how it comes out. I only gave birth (vaginal delivery) about 15 weeks ago, and my flow has been much heavier since I gave birth, so this should be interesting!
I feel it inside, though, not the stem. That doesn’t bother me a bit. Maybe I don’t have it quite far enough up.
Yeah, try wiggling it around or pushing it further in. I have found that I can usually shift it–even pushing it deeper in–even if it’s already opened and created its seal. The most likely problem is that it’s either not in far enough or it’s at a bad angle. You might try tipping it forward or backward and see if it “seats” better.
Will do. I was anticipating having trouble removing it, based on some posts here, but that was the easiest part.
Depending on the day and the heaviness of my flow, the DivaCup can be a bit tricky to insert or remove. I’ve only been using it for about three months, but I would never, ever go back to tampons and pads again. I mostly love it because I only have to empty it two or three times per day instead of the four or five heavy duty tampons I was going through before, and it’s mostly a breeze to use.
Telperien, if I’m not sure I have the cup seated in there right, I do a couple of Kegels with the cup inserted and it sometimes settles itself into a better position. Also, it does take a few sessions before you figure out just where it should go, and then it becomes routine.
After a couple of days of using it, my vaginal muscles actually seem to get a little tired of having the cup in there - I bought the size 2 because I’m over 30, but maybe it’s a bit big for me since I haven’t had any children. There’s no pain, just muscles in there that feel a little cranky. Fortunately my periods are superlight, so I only need to wear the cup for a couple of days at most.
Despite my trepidations way back in the early days of this thread, I’m now an enthusiastic convert. No more dry and painful tampon adventures, woo!